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Q-talk *ON TOPIC ONLY* QUALITY ON TOPIC discussion of Backyard BBQ, grilling, equipment and outdoor cookin' . ** Other cooking techniques are welcomed for when your cookin' in the kitchen. Post your hints, tips, tricks & techniques, success, failures, but stay on topic and watch for that hijacking.


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Old 07-20-2017, 09:37 PM   #16
Bigdawg580
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Recently purchased a Deep South GC28. I love the way it cooks and hold the temperature.
I don't like the light smoke profile. Craftsmanship is top-notch. Hoping i learn the secret of giving more smoke flavor, still learning the pit. Check all the screws on the slam latch, had to readjust and retighten all the screws. Get all the up grades you can afford. If i had to repurchase a pit. i might reconsider and go with a offset pit, only for a better smoke flavor. What i like is how easy they are to cook on.
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Old 07-20-2017, 11:59 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bigdawg580 View Post
Recently purchased a Deep South GC28. I love the way it cooks and hold the temperature.
I don't like the light smoke profile. Craftsmanship is top-notch. Hoping i learn the secret of giving more smoke flavor, still learning the pit. Check all the screws on the slam latch, had to readjust and retighten all the screws. Get all the up grades you can afford. If i had to repurchase a pit. i might reconsider and go with a offset pit, only for a better smoke flavor. What i like is how easy they are to cook on.
The ease of use is what's sold me on the gravity feed units. I think that's what gets everyone interested in a gravity feed. We get pretty cold in the winter, so the insulated cabinet is a big plus.

The Deep South is surely one of the brands that I've included in my search. I like the construction of the Deep South and the heat baffle that's used to control the heat, smoke, and prevent grease fires. I also like the grease drain has a control valve to seal up the unit when it's not in use. How's that worked out for you? Do you find the grease management to work well? Any flare-ups?

It seems that the baffling, grease management, and 4" insulation around hot areas are the primary differences between the Deep South and most of the other gravity fed units. I also see the welds. Is there anything else I'm missing?

I appreciate everyone's responses; this is all great information!
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Old 07-21-2017, 06:01 AM   #18
Smoking Piney
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Originally Posted by Ribsket View Post
Does the bottom of your Assassin have any pitch to it? It appears that the lower portion of the Assassin is quite flat in all the pictures I've seen. I'd think the grease management would be pitched towards the drain to try and encourage the flow to move right out of the main chamber and into the collection pan. The grease management in these units seems to be a common sticking point; has it been much of a hassle?
The bottom is flat, but the grease catcher is a big square funnel that sits on legs over the bottom of the cook chamber with a tube running down to the drain hole. I'm at work, so I can't attach a picture.

I don't get an accumulation of grease on the bottom of the chamber. I do have to check the drain tube on the grease catcher to make sure it's not clogged. I cook every chance I get with this cooker and I've never seen it clogged.........gunked up, but not clogged. I cover the grease catcher with HDAF, punching a hole in it for the drain tube. It makes cleaning it super easy - replace the foil, brush out the drain tube. I really don't have grease management issues.

The only other area of concern is checking that the firebox opening in the cook chamber is clear. There is some ash that builds up there. I check this before every cook and I've never seen it clogged. There is some fine ash that builds up on the bottom of the cook chamber. I wipe this out before every cook.

C&C puts rails on the bottom of the cooker to allow you to slide a full sized aluminum pan under the cooker to catch the grease that drains. That's pretty handy.
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Old 07-21-2017, 07:40 AM   #19
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Quote:
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What was the width of your previous gravity feed (superior)? I've been eyeing the Deep South smokers, too. Have you found other things that you like on the Deep South better?


I had the SS1 model, which I believe is 24". The main thing with the Deep South over the superior is the hot spot. On the Deep South I can pretty much use the entire smoker. The bottom right rack gets hotter than everywhere else, but I can still use it. On the superior, the bottom rack was worthless unless I wanted to grill something.


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Old 07-21-2017, 09:20 AM   #20
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I give a +1 to everything Smoking Piney said. Be sure to consider the items that are standard on the Assassin that others charge extra for -- slam latch, Pitmaster IQ controller, etc. Assassin also offers no charge customization like back or side charcoal chute, extra rack runners. location of the probe port. Adding an extra probe port or relocating the rack runners should be no problem at all. As long as you have the smoker level, grease drainage is no problem. Jeff Conley at Assassin is great to work with. Assassin's customer service is second to none.

I bought a slightly used 17 model from a comp team. I have had it over a year & there are no signs of wear & tear. Gaskets are in good shape. Doors all seal properly. No blistering or rust visible.

Stumps, DSS & Assassin all produce top quality smokers. All three provide excellent customer service before & after the sale. When you compare them side by side and see the extra features Assassin includes as standard, IMHO, Assassin gives your more for your $$$.
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Old 07-21-2017, 09:51 AM   #21
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Thanks Smoking Piney, cpw, and olewarthog!

I think you three have narrowed in on my last considerations: these are all great units, Assassin gives you more value per dollar in standard features that are add-ons elsewhere, but Deep South has some additional features in the build and infrastructure. It's like trying to choose between two luxury car brands.

I do have concerns over the grease and heat management on the Assassin. Those concerns wouldn't exist if Deep South didn't have extra bits in these areas that make a lot of sense to me. Our previous pit's (not the WSM) grease management didn't perform as I'd expect. I am concerned over the possibility of the bottom rack running substantially hotter. I expect there to be temperature fluctuations from bottom to top, but this was another failing point of our last pit. Our previous pit had temperature variances well more than 100 degrees.

When you say the bottom level was like a grill, what temperatures were you seeing? 325/350+ to keep the rest of the chamber at 225/250?

I don't want to overspend if the Assassin quality and extensive features will meet all my needs but I also don't want to miss out on the additional infrastructure that the Deep South provides if I'll frequently see benefit from those bits.
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Old 07-21-2017, 11:17 AM   #22
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Are you putting it on a trailer?
What company you going with?
Definitely get slam latch ,guru ports, wheel package. I like the stainless steel racks but there not needed if you don't want them. Deep South I run lump which is great. The stumps chute was better for briquettes. I would get a larger chute depending who you go with, if you want to run lump. Reason I ask about the trailer is you can reposition your firebox door. Isn't a huge deal but it would be nice if mine was in the front instead of the side.
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Old 07-21-2017, 11:39 AM   #23
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Have you looked at Humphreys? They have a reverse flow gravity feed unit that is pretty awesome. They are extremely well made and just as good of a reputation as the others that have been mentioned. The nice thing is that the reverse flow keeps temps really consistent from top to bottom. You can also use water if you like but I prefer fire bricks in the pan.

I solve my grease issues by just cooking in pans. It's not for everyone but, it fits my style and keeps everything very clean and contained.
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Old 07-21-2017, 12:05 PM   #24
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No problem with grease management in a Deep South. No grease fire's, Just make sure you cook in pans or cover the bottom with tin foil to make clean up easy.
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Old 07-21-2017, 02:38 PM   #25
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sknabnoj View Post
Have you looked at Humphreys? They have a reverse flow gravity feed unit that is pretty awesome. They are extremely well made and just as good of a reputation as the others that have been mentioned. The nice thing is that the reverse flow keeps temps really consistent from top to bottom. You can also use water if you like but I prefer fire bricks in the pan.

I solve my grease issues by just cooking in pans. It's not for everyone but, it fits my style and keeps everything very clean and contained.
Initially, I had considered Humphrey's insulated reverse-flow cabinets but moved past them to the gravity-fed units. I didn't notice that there was a gravity feed line until much later on. Humphrey's gravity-fed smokers look attractive, but I don't know enough about them. Also, it appears they have much less capacity at a higher price point. They do offer the bonus of being reverse-flow gravity-fed smokers, so it's not an apples to apples comparison in cost and construction. They look like a quality product, there just doesn't seem to be as much info available about them.

Also, there may be some serious discord in my home if I introduce another variable into this shopping experience.
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Old 07-21-2017, 03:35 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ribsket View Post
I do have concerns over the grease and heat management on the Assassin. Those concerns wouldn't exist if Deep South didn't have extra bits in these areas that make a lot of sense to me. Our previous pit's (not the WSM) grease management didn't perform as I'd expect. I am concerned over the possibility of the bottom rack running substantially hotter. I expect there to be temperature fluctuations from bottom to top, but this was another failing point of our last pit. Our previous pit had temperature variances well more than 100 degrees.

When you say the bottom level was like a grill, what temperatures were you seeing? 325/350+ to keep the rest of the chamber at 225/250?

I don't want to overspend if the Assassin quality and extensive features will meet all my needs but I also don't want to miss out on the additional infrastructure that the Deep South provides if I'll frequently see benefit from those bits.
Here's a right out of the crate pic of the inside of the Assassin (sorry, the water pan is sitting on top of the grease catcher). You can see the grease catcher covers most of the area of the bottom. As much as I've cooked on it, I do not have any grease on the bottom of the cook chamber - it all lands on the grease catcher (give or take a few drips if I get sloppy turning / pulling meat) and is funneled out through the drain tube. The only thing I clean from the bottom of the chamber is the ash, and I make sure the drain tube is clear. You can see the rails next to legs - they're spaced for a full size aluminum pan to catch the drained grease.

Bottom rack heat? I'll give you that - it's considerably hotter than the upper racks. I usually don't use it. I put the IQ120 temp probe on the lowest rack if I'm using more than one rack.

I'm by no means evangelizing Assassins. It's a great cooker that works for my needs, but there a more great cookers out there.

It's good to see that you're really digging into your research - a very wise move. PM me if you have any more questions on the Assassin.


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Old 07-24-2017, 02:44 PM   #27
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Scanning thru pics in my phone & came across this one that shows the drip pan in my Assassin 17. Please ignore the mess, I took the pic right before cleaning it up. All the grease that drips, will funnel thru the center tube into a disposal pan sitting on rails on the bottom of the smoker. After this cook, I learned the trick Piney mentioned. Cover it in foil. I cut an X in the center over the tube & push the "wings" into the tube. I had just cooked 6 butts followed by 40 leg quarters.

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Old 07-24-2017, 02:49 PM   #28
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Scanning thru pics in my phone & came across this one that shows the drip pan in my Assassin 17. Please ignore the mess, I took the pic right before cleaning it up. All the grease that drips, will funnel thru the center tube into a disposal pan sitting on rails on the bottom of the smoker. After this cook, I learned the trick Piney mentioned. Cover it in foil. I cut an X in the center over the tube & push the "wings" into the tube.

That's incredibly helpful! It looks like the drain plate really does cover the entire heat transfer area. How much hotter is the bottom rack than the higher racks? I figure there will be variance; that can be a good thing!
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Old 07-24-2017, 03:20 PM   #29
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I think that I'd want to change the configuration of the runners of the Assassin if I go that route. Height was never really a concern in my previous pits; maybe I'm overthinking this.

Is 3.5" deep enough for a packer brisket? It looks like the full sized pans I typically use are 3 3/16" deep; just about .25" under the 3.5" space between runners, before accounting for the rack thickness itself. I've had some packer cut briskets blessed with ultra thick points, peeking out above the top of the pan. Those were magical cuts of beef. I also think that the bottom racks might be best for smoking poultry, especially after hearing that they run much hotter. Using the lower grates for chicken also solves placement issues for things like salmonella. I'm thinking a spatchcocked chicken or cut up poultry will fit in the shorter depth areas easier than a full packer brisket or plate ribs — another staple in my smoker.

Additional runners were brought up earlier in the thread, so I know I'm not completely off base in this thought. Am I overthinking the placement or the depth I'd need for different cuts? For what cuts do you all find the 3.5" runners are viable, besides flat items such as bacon and spare ribs?

I appreciate everyone's opinions and experience. In the end, I want to be sure I've covered all my variables!
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Old 07-24-2017, 05:27 PM   #30
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Not to add any confusion, but have you looked at Southern Q Smokers?

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